Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My 7-year-old daughter, Vanessa, loves it when I tell her we’re going to do a craft together. Although I’m never sure if I’m doing things right, just quality spending time with her and my younger son trying to make something beautiful and unique with our own hands is enough to make me love it too!

Since we’ll be spending Nochebuena at my sister’s house this year and she’s asked all of us to bring an ornament for her Christmas tree, we decided that we would make them, making sure we somehow incorporated the Spanish language. After trying to come up with something totally different, I remembered I had once seen an ornament made with the wooden tiles of Scrabble, one of my favorite board games.

Believe or not, I have a really old one that I’ve kept for many years even though it’s missing many of the letters. I know I could’ve just ordered the ones missing, but I never got around to it and since we wanted to make some original ornaments, I figured the time had come to put the tiles to good use.

So we decided to make ornaments with words in Spanish that represent the holidays for us using Scrabble letters. If you don’t have a set of Scrabble, you can get one for less than $20 at Walmart. While it may feel weird to get a board game just for a craft, think about the compliments you’ll get on your unique ornaments.

Other than the actual wooden tiles, you’ll need some Christmas-themed ribbon, a gun glue and any other trinkets you may want to include and you can find all of it in the crafts section of your local Walmart. We got some jingle bells and we ended up doing two different types of ornaments. One with the words spelled out horizontally using colorful foam sheets as the backing and one with the words  spelled out vertically using ribbon as the backing.

The first thing we did was come up with a list of words in Spanish that we associate with the holiday season. Then, we grabbed the ribbon of our choice and we laid down each letter attaching it to the ribbon with a bit of glue. We left a bit of space between each tile because we wanted the polka dots to come through, but you don’t have to. We also left extra ribbon on top to make a loop to hang the ornament.

My favorite part of this craft is that the options are endless and the kids get to practice their spelling in Spanish!

Thanksgiving is almost here and before we have a house full of food, family and friends I wanted to take time with my kids to make cards to thank those that are in our lives.

My kids love quick crafts and I love easy clean up!  These DIY washi tape turkey Thanksgiving gratitude cards are definitely fast and so easy, not to mention the little turkey is adorable! My son is now learning to write sentences so this will be a great way to document his milestone this holiday.

To make these Easy DIY Thanksgiving Cards you will need:

• cardstock- brown and white
• glue spots — 3d or popup work best
• washi tape in festive colors
• scissors
• marker
• optional- circle punches in 2″ and 2.5″

Let’s get started!

If you have punches go ahead a punch out one of each, if not feel free to freehand your circles on the brown cardstock. You will need one for the body of your turkey and one for the head.

Using the body circle (the larger on) adhere the washi tape to the back. We used about 2 inches long and folded over 3/4 of the way leaving a sticky edge for adhering to the back of our turkey body.

Yours should look like the picture above. Add as many washi-tape feathers as you’d like!

At this time prepare your card. Take the white card stock, fold the long way, cut and fold again. This makes 2 cards. The crease of the card will be at the top.

Have the kids adhere the washi tape. Washi tape is forgivable and can be repositioned. No mistakes no hassles!

Once all your feathers are on, using a glue spot, adhere the head of your turkey.

Flip your turkey over and add some wash tape legs. We cut a stip in half and added them on just like the feathers.

Add three glue spots to the body part and adhere to your card towards the top. Set aside.

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Add a beak and some gobble! Cut a triangle out of washi tape turn it upside down. Crinkle some red washi tape for the gobble, adhere to the back of the upside down triangle and stick to the head circle.

Add a sentiment — follow this easy tutorial.  Decorate with some washi tape,  add to card with some glue spots and done!

Make a few more and don’t forget to have the kids write inside! Ready to be given to those you are most thankful for!

Here’s a great idea: Neighborly Thank You Gifts with Free Printables to kick off your Thanksgiving week! The lovely thing about this activity is that it’s super kid friendly and you can share it with your vecinos or la policia, the local fire fighters, el cartero, or your family members when they come over for Thanksgiving dinner.

If your children are little then all they have to do is hand out the notes as is, but I bet they still would like to scribble their name.  If they are older then you can encourage them to write a message, if they’d like.  To download your Gracias Labels just click here: Neighborly Thank You Labels

What our familia did is we bought a box of chocolates and stuffed each bag with chocolates and these cute notes.  Our kids helped us get them together and then placed them all in a basket. As we walk out the door or someone comes to our home we will fill their day with a joyful treat in hopes to remind them that they are appreciated.

At dinner time we discussed all the people they had an opportunity to share their Thank You gift with and my son’s eyes lit up and said, “It made me so happy.”  ¡Que lindo!  My older boy shared what each person’s facial expressions were like when they received the gift and he said, “It made them smile.”  Enjoy brightening up your neighbor or community helper with these treats.

Last year was our first time celebrating Día de Muertos.  Since then, a lot has changed in the way I see this holiday.  It amazes me how much of a spiritual impact the celebration of Día de Muertos has given me.  Last year I didn’t know much about it, so I did a little research, applied what I learned to the same beliefs that my husband and I grew up with, and did my best to weave the old with the new.  After having experienced all the emotions and joy that come with setting up and creating an altar last year, I was looking forward to getting started on our altar this year once Fall officially arrived.

What this year’s altar means to me is beyond the expectations of what I first expected to feel.  I knew that it had to be meaningful from start to finish, and it was.  There was no doubt in my mind that it needed to be separate from everything else, and it needed its own space where it can be appreciated.  Last year I was left feeling like I didn’t do our altar justice, so this year I wanted to make our deceased relatives proud. My goal was to create the foundation for an altar that would last us many years.  I wanted it to stand out and be noticed by everyone who walked through our door.  Most importantly though, I wanted my children and husband to be a part of the whole process too.

After much brainstorming and planning, we began gathering all the materials we needed together.  My husband took on the challenge of building the home of our altar(s), which were three large rectangular shadow boxes that would be hung on the wall.  The wood we used came from the box frame of our old bed that we took apart over the summer and saved before throwing out what we couldn’t repurpose.

Here is a detailed list of the materials we used for the shadow box shelf:

• (4) 11 5/8“ Long X 11/16” Thick X 3 3/8” High solid redwood boards
• (4) 21 ¾” Long X 11/16” Thick X 3 3/8” High” solid redwood boards
• (1) 22 7/8” Long X 3/8” Thick X 11” High plywood board for the back
• #6 x 1-1/4” wood screws
• #6 x ½” wood screws
• #16 x 1-1/4” Wire Brads nails
• (4) 2” rectangle brackets
• Staple gun
• fabric
• ¼” thick Quilt Batting
• Picture hangers (20lb capacity)
• ring hangers

Step 1:  Cut the Batting at least ½” bigger than the plywood board, and the fabric at least 1 ½” bigger than the plywood board. Lay down the fabric face down first, then place the batting over the fabric, then place the plywood board over them.  Starting with the middle (lengthwise), pull the fabric up and over the edge of the board, and staple it down.  Do the same with the other sides.  Work your way from the middle – out, leaving the corners last.   When you get to the corners, fold the leftover piece of fabric that hasn’t been stapled like you would a present, and staple it down one or two times.

Step 2: Build two frames separately using the nails first (the shorter redwood boards go on the outside of the frame).  Once you have the frames built, reinforce them with the #6 x 1-1/4” wood screws (one on each end between the nails).  Screw on half of the bracket halfway down the middle of each board with one #6 x ½” wood screw.  Slide the second frame onto the frame with brackets and secure them together with #6 x ½” wood screws again.

Step 3:  Evenly position the upholstered plywood board over one side of the completed frame and secure it onto the frame using the #6 x 1-1/4” wood screws.

Step 4:  Use a ruler to measure how far down, as well as how much inward, you want the picture hangers to be on the back board.  Screw them on with the #6 x ½” wood screws.  Use the distance between the top of the two rings to determine how far apart you need to place the hangers on the wall.

Now that the hardest part is done, it’s time to get creative!  If you’re going to include children in the process of creating an altar for Día de los Muertos, here are a few tips.

1. Find age-appropriate books about Día de los Muertos to introduce them to the cultural festivities if this is their first time.  Talk about the pictures, note the basics as a starting point (i.e., Marigolds, the offering, Calaveras, etc.).  Then talk about who you will be honoring in your altar.
2. Scope your home out for the right spot together as a family and talk about the different options you have.  How much space are you going to need?  How much space do you have?  Do you want it to be on a table, or on the wall, which room should it be in?
3. Once you’ve decided where the altar will be, you can ask the children to draw a picture of some of their ideas.  If they don’t want to do this, or are too young to understand, it’s okay!  Simply talking about it together can be enough.  Just make sure you jot down some of their ideas (if they give you some) so you can plan for them ahead for time.  Remember, this is a FAMILY DIY Project!  Everyone’s ideas and participation count!  No matter how big or small.
4. This one can probably go without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway…Keep breakables and flammables to a minimum!  Children are naturally curious, and they will want to touch everything on the altar, so don’t put anything on the altar you would be upset about if it gets broken.  If you do, educate them on how to handle those items with care.  Lay down some rules if you must.
5. Have fun, be patient, and take your time.  Building an altar isn’t something to rush.  It’s a personal matter that involves lots of love, and only you and your family know what will work and what will not.  Small, large, simple, elaborate… doesn’t matter.  What matters is the time spent together bonding with your loved ones – alive and departed.

Watching my daughter get excited about helping us with our altar made every bit of hard work putting it all together worth it.  This year we talked about her Grandmother more, she asked about the others; who they were, how they died.  “Do we miss them?” she always asks.  Hearing and answering these questions does reawaken the grief and sadness in us, but only for a short while.  It’s part of the process I guess, because you can NEVER forget about the people you love and miss.  Never!  We don’t want to forget about them!  I think that’s why it’s so important to me to do this every year for my family.  It’s the only way my children can get to know their Father’s Mother and it helps keep the memories of her alive.  For that reason alone, I am beyond more than happy to continue this tradition every year.

I hope you enjoyed reading our experience. Below are links to recipes and resources that we used to help us build our altar as a family.

Books about Día de los Muertos

Paper Table Template

Pan De Muerto recipe by King Arthur Flour

Sweet Tamales by Muy Bueno Cookbook

Click to download and print!

I am part of the Windows Champions Program. As a Windows Champion, I am loaned a laptop, and, on occasion, Microsoft products such as software to assist me in developing content for my blog posts. All opinions are my own.

This year, as a Windows Champion Ambassador on behalf of SpanglishBaby, I will be exploring all this new platform has to offer you, with a focus on information, tips, and apps for bilingual families.

Today we’re going to have a little fun and show you how to create printables for your kids. Your printables can be in Spanish or bilingual and there are endless ways to be creative with this. A few ideas for things you could make:

• lunchbox notes
• bookplates or bookmarks
• labels
• flashcards
• word games
• fortunes in Spanish for homemade fortune cookies
• party banners
• invitations

To get started, simply open Word 2013 on your Windows 8 computer, choose “Blank document,” and click the three little dots in the upper right of your screen if the tool bar isn’t visible.

From this point you’re only limited by your imagination. Play around with fonts, shapes and colors.

A few tips:

To create a shape go to Insert > Shapes, and then use your mouse to drag and draw the shape on the screen. You can right click to format the shape and add effects like borders and textures.

Here are some bookmarks we created for you and your niños in Microsoft Word. Click here to download and print the bookmarks! (We recommend printing on card stock so they’re sturdy.)

Have fun and happy creating!

Stay tuned for my next post! If you have any specific topic regarding Windows 8 that you’d like more information about, please feel free to suggest it in comments below!

This is a sponsored post brought to you by Walmart. ¡Gracias!

The kids are so excited for our Fourth of July celebration. This year we will not be purchasing fireworks because our neighborhood has banned the use of fireworks. We are totally ok with that because we know we will be able to watch big fireworks in the sky put on our town.

To get started with the celebration I wanted to have the kids create something that would remind them of the years past.

I thought it would be really cool to do flameless DIY celebration sparklers. Now wouldn’t those be cool to celebrate our countries Independence Day? While they aren’t your typical sparklers, they are pretty cool and so easy to make!

Here is what you need to make your own Celebration Sparkelers:

1-Round dowels or wooden sticks. Walmart has a great price on 16 sticks for $.97

2-Scissors

3-Tape. Clear tape works best

4-Cellophane in your color of choice

5-Curling ribbon

6-Styrofoam balls. Walmart has a bag of 12pc for $4.97

Let’s get started!

1. Cut your cellophane to 4×4 squares and 3×3 squares. You will need about four of each so a total of eight cellophane squares.

2. Choose your foam ball. We used one of the smallest. Insert the stick and wrap with a larger square. Secure with tape.

3. Starting with the smaller squares first, make a slint in the center of the celephane squares. Slide stick thru from the bottom to the top at the base of the foam ball and wrap around and secure. See image above.

4. Continue adding all sqaures and securing each with tape at the base.

5. Lastly, decorate the stick with ribbon. Starting at the top, wrap around and secure with tape.

¡A celebrar se ha dicho! Let’s celebrate!!!

One of my biggest tasks is to keep the kids entertained while the family is busy cooking and preparing everything during the holidays.

Lately the trend has been these amazing glittered body art designs. I like to think of them as the modern face paintings.

Not only are these fun and festive but the designs are endless.

While my son was excited about getting fall leaves, my daughter requested a rainbow turkey.

Since we didn’t use body glue (which lasts 3-7 days), we tried out a more temporary adhesive for a day of wearing our designs.

I am sure this will be a hit with the kids this holiday!

To make your own Glitter Holiday body art designs here is what you need:

Supplies

1-Fine glitter

2-Elmer’s Glue

3-Makeup sponge

4-Dry brush

5-Paint brush

I’ve created this easy-to-follow-along video so you can see how we got our design started. Follow along with the video or the steps below.

Instructions

1- Clean the area where you will place your design

2- Using the paint brush, apply your glue

3-To make the turkey like we did start with 2 circular shapes to form a turkey

4-Tap on the glitter using the same glue brush

5-Tap off the excess glitter

6-Using the makeup sponge firmly press down on design

7-Use the dry brush to remove any unwanted glitter surrounding your design.

8-Repeat the steps to finish your design.

9- We added 4 fathers to our turkey. Apply one at a time. We also added eyes and a beak.

Enjoy creating these designs. We hope they are a hit with the kids at your next holiday gathering!

It’s that time of the year again when routine must kick back into gear because school is back in session.

I’ve been working with the kids on our own routine here at home. I learned early on how kids loved to know and to pick what activity would be next as well as letting others know what they were up to.

This activity sign is the best thing yet especially if you have other kids in the neighborhood who may want to come over and play before your little one is ready to.

To make an Activity Sign of your own here is what you need!

Supplies:

1-Scissors

2- A picture of your kiddo

3-Adhesive- we used photo splits

4-Markers and a pen

5-Patterned card-stock

6-a small gift bag

7-a brass fastener(or brad)

Let’s get started!

1-Cut your picture out and adhere to a piece of cardstock. Cut around to outline the picture.

2-Using another piece of the card-stock in a rectangle shape. Size will depend on your bag and image. This will create the pocket for your picture.Fold the sides about 1/4 inch on the sides and bottom

3-Cut the bottom corner square so that it makes folding and adhere easier and finish your pocket.

4-Adhere the pocket to your bag in a place where your picture can slide in and sit well. Preferably in the lower portion of the bag.

5-Cut out speech bubble shapes they don’t have to be perfect and make a tiny hole on the same side of each shape. Make a hole on the picture as well. The whole needs to be big enough for the fastener to fit.

6-Customize your speech bubble messages.

7-Attach the message bubbles behind the picture and secure with fastener. Add a name to the pocket and all done!

Now choose a message to display and  hang your sign where it can be seen.

We hope this makes homework time and play time fun! Have an awesome school year!

Photo by gusdrinks

Begin this activity by reading the children’s book El Piñatero/ The Piñata Maker by George Acona.

Piñatas are found at almost every Mexican celebration. Traditionally they were in the shape of a six-pointed star and were filled with fruit, candy, and small toys. Today you can find them in all shapes, including animals, flowers, and popular characters.

At fiestas, the piñata is hung in the air and children are blindfolded and take turns swinging at the piñatas.  Kids often sing

“ dale, dale, dale no pierdas el tino, mira la piñata que hay en el camino. No quiero oro ni quiero plata, lo que yo quiero es romper la piñata.”

Eventually, the piñata is hit hard enough and it breaks releasing the candy and toys that it contained.

Making an authentic piñata is a fun, interactive lesson you can do either at home or in a school setting.  Kids love participating in the creation of the piñata and, of course, the culminating fiesta is worth all of the hard work.

Be sure to reinforce Spanish colors and vocabulary such as el papel, las tijeras, los dulces, etc when creating la piñata.

To Create Your Own Piñata you will need:

• 3 cups water

• 2 cups flour

• 1 balloon

• Newspaper cut into long strips

• Colored tissue papaer

• String

How to Make a Piñata:

1. Blow up a large balloon and tie the end

2. Mix the flour and water together until it makes a smooth paste

3. Cut the newspaper into long 1 inch thick strips and dip into the flour/water mixture

4. Carefully place the strips on the balloon until it is covered, leaving a hole at the top

5. Set aside and let the balloon dry

6. Place another layer of newspaper dipped in the mixture over the balloon and let dry

7. Repeat with one or two more layers, making sure you leave the hole at the top

8. When dry, pop the balloon with scissors point and remove the balloon

9. Cut small pieces of colored tissue

10. Scrunch the papers into little pieces and glue all over the piñata

11. If desired, hang colored crepe paper from the sides and bottom

12. Punch 2 small holes in the top near the opening and string a large piece of string through the two holes

13. Fill your piñata (through the hole you left at the top) with candy, toys, or any other fun surprises

14. Get ready for your FIESTA!

Click here to download and print this activity!

Jennifer Manriquez is the founder of The Bilingual Fun Co. and mom of 2 bilingual children. As an educator with a Master’s Degree in Bilingual Education and successful mompreneur, she is passionate about teaching Spanish to children and raising an awareness of early language education. Bilingual Fun is a nationally recognized, award winning program that offers classes tips, advice, and resources for learning Spanish.